A former policeman, Albert, who played flute, sang, and wrote some of the songs, was quite a recognizable image and a great presence on stage. He was an energetic, happy guy who loved playing music. We had a lot of great times together. After he hung up his big Amish, Sweetwater hat, he became a schoolteacher in northern California. He died from lung cancer in 1994.

Alan was our original drummer. Quite young, when we formed (17), he had good feel and instinct for his instrument. He had a sympathetic easygoing temperament, but was often the first to let his hair down when it came time to party. He became a touring and studio drummer in his later career, but died suddenly in a car accident one night between L.A. and Las Vegas. He was only 31 when he died.

An extremely unique individual, August, our well- loved cellist, had a warm smile, a mysteriously deep voice, and was interested, from an intellectual standpoint, in EVERYTHING. This very cool guy, who studied the classics at UCLA, added to our eclectic image by bringing us a touch of class. When he played his solo on “My Crystal Spider, “ during our concerts, the audience would go nuts. After Sweetwater, August went to Germany to study conducting. While there, he somehow fell out of a construction elevator, and in the hospital, contracted pneumonia and died.